School Fees 2027 Kenya: Capitation and What Schools Can Charge

Every year around November, fee rumours start. A new figure appears on Facebook, a school sends a "development levy" note, and someone forwards a 2027 fee table with no source. This guide cuts through it. It sets out the official fee figures and capitation rates that apply to Kenyan public schools as of early November 2026, explains the rules on what a school may and may not charge, and says plainly what the government has not yet published for 2027.

We use only figures from Ministry of Education documents, the Kenya Gazette as reported by national media, and statements made to Parliament. Where a figure comes from a news report rather than the document itself, we say so.

Information current as of early November 2026. Sources: Ministry of Education press statement of 2 January 2026; senior school fee structure gazetted 6 February 2026, effective 5 January 2026; Ministry capitation releases for 2026; Principal Secretary Julius Bitok's May 2026 submission to the National Assembly education committee. A newer circular or gazette notice always overrides this page.

Key takeaways

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• No new fee guidelines have been published for 2027 as of early November 2026. The structure gazetted on 6 February 2026 is the one in force.
• Public day schools: no tuition fees at any level. For senior day schools the household contribution is nil.
• Public boarding senior schools: households pay up to KSh 53,554 a year (major urban centres) or KSh 40,535 (other boarding schools). Special needs schools: KSh 12,790.
• Fees must be spread 50:30:20 across the three terms.
• Senior school capitation is KSh 22,244 per learner per year, but principals reported that only 72 percent had been released by the start of Term 3 2026. The 2026/27 budget has a reported shortfall of KSh 71.77 billion.
• No public school may charge tuition or levies outside the gazetted structure.

What is officially in force: the February 2026 fee structure

On 6 February 2026, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba gazetted a fee structure for public senior schools under the Basic Education Act. It took effect from 5 January 2026, applies to senior schools under both the competency-based system and 8-4-4, and, according to reports, revoked the 2015 fee notice. These are its main figures.

Source: gazette notice of 6 February 2026, as reported by Kenyans.co.ke and Capital FM. Some outlets quote KSh 75,798 and KSh 62,779 as "fees"; those totals include the government's capitation. The household ceilings are KSh 53,554 and KSh 40,535.

The 50:30:20 rule, in shillings

The gazette says schools "shall spread these fees over the three school terms at the ratio of 50:30:20". Here is what that means for each household ceiling.

Our arithmetic from the gazetted ceilings. A school may round its own figures; it may not exceed the ceiling.

What the money is for

Reporting on the notice gives the vote heads. For day schools, the KSh 22,244 capitation is split into tuition (KSh 4,144), activity (KSh 1,500), medical and insurance (KSh 2,000), SMASSE (KSh 200), administration and other vote heads (KSh 9,400), and maintenance and improvement (KSh 5,000). For boarding schools in the lower category, the household's KSh 40,535 covers boarding equipment and stores (KSh 25,385), other vote heads (KSh 12,900), activity (KSh 250) and maintenance and improvement (KSh 2,000). Tuition in boarding schools is paid by government, not by parents.

Capitation at each level

Capitation is the money government sends schools per learner. It is why public day schooling has no tuition fee. The figures below are the most authoritative we could find; where only a term figure has been published, we give that rather than invent an annual one.

The Senate's memorandum on the 2026 Budget Policy Statement put the junior school rate at KSh 15,042 per learner per year for the 2025/26 financial year. We have not found a Ministry circular that states that annual figure, so treat it as a budget-document number rather than a confirmed rate for 2027.

Capitation is not always paid in full

This matters to parents because when capitation falls short, schools come under pressure to ask parents for money. In August 2026, the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) said that by the start of Term 3, schools had received KSh 16,141.89 per senior learner, 72 percent of the KSh 22,244 annual amount, leaving about KSh 6,102 outstanding, as reported by the Daily Nation. In May 2026, PS Julius Bitok told the National Assembly's education committee that the 2026/27 basic education budget had a shortfall of KSh 71.77 billion, which The Standard reported could leave more than six million learners without full capitation. The 2026/27 financial year runs to June 2027, so it covers Term 1 2027.

A shortfall does not make an extra levy legal. The Ministry's position, repeated in January, July and August 2026, is that schools must not impose unauthorised levies.

What schools can and cannot charge

Two grey areas come up often. The first is lunch for senior day scholars: the gazette reporting we have seen does not address it. If your senior day school asks for lunch money, ask whether it is voluntary, who approved it and whether it was agreed at a parents' general meeting, and get the answer in writing. The second is "voluntary" contributions such as building funds or motivation money. A truly voluntary contribution has no penalty for not paying. If a child is sent home, denied a report form or blocked from a service for not paying, it is not voluntary.

What has not been published for 2027

• A 2027 fee gazette notice or circular. None found as of early November 2026. The Ministry has said any change must be approved and gazetted, so until a new notice appears, the February 2026 structure applies.
• 2027 capitation rates per learner for primary and junior schools. Term figures are announced with each release; the Term 1 2027 release has not happened yet.
• The list of which boarding schools fall in the KSh 53,554 cluster. We have not found it published. Check your school's stamped fee structure.
• The 2027 school calendar, which sets when Term 1 fees fall due. See our 2027 school calendar guide.

How to find out when they are published: watch the Ministry of Education's website (education.go.ke) and its official social media accounts, and check two national newspapers before believing any figure. A real circular has a reference number, a date and a named signatory. A WhatsApp table without those is not official.

How to check a fee structure in five minutes

1. Is it on school letterhead, stamped and signed? If not, ask for the official version.
2. Is the school public or private? These rules apply to public schools only.
3. Day or boarding? A public day school should show no tuition and no household fee for senior school.
4. For boarding, is the annual total at or below KSh 53,554 or KSh 40,535? Is it split 50:30:20?
5. Are there lines outside the structure such as "development", "motivation" or "PTA projects"? Ask in writing what authorises each one.

Our guide to fee structures, invoices and receipts shows what a proper fee document and receipt look like.

If you think a charge is illegal

1. Ask the school, politely and in writing, which approval the charge is based on.
2. Raise it at the parents' association or with the Board of Management.
3. If unresolved, write to the Sub-County Director of Education, attaching the fee structure and any letters.
4. Keep paying the lawful part of the fee so your child's place is not disputed.

The Ministry said in July 2026 that several principals had already faced disciplinary action over unauthorised charges. It does act when cases are verified.

A worked example: checking one boarding school's Term 1 note

Mr Kiprono in Eldoret receives a Term 1 2027 note from his son's public boarding senior school. It shows an annual fee of KSh 40,535, a Term 1 amount of KSh 20,268, and a separate line of KSh 3,000 marked "development levy, compulsory". He checks: the annual figure is exactly the second-cluster ceiling, and KSh 20,268 is 50 percent rounded up by fifty cents, which is fine. The KSh 3,000 line is outside the gazetted structure and is labelled compulsory. He pays KSh 20,268 through the school's paybill, keeps the confirmation, and writes to the principal asking which approval authorises the levy. If the answer does not satisfy him, his next step is the parents' association and then the Sub-County Director of Education.

Frequently asked questions

What are the official school fees for 2027 in Kenya?

No new 2027 fee guidelines had been published by early November 2026. The structure in force is the one gazetted on 6 February 2026: nil for public day senior schools, up to KSh 53,554 or KSh 40,535 a year for public boarding senior schools, and KSh 12,790 for special needs schools.

Is primary and junior school free in 2027?

Public primary and junior schools charge no tuition fees and are funded by capitation. Parents still meet costs such as uniform and stationery.

How much capitation does the government pay per secondary student?

KSh 22,244 per learner per year, as restated in the Ministry's circular of 2 January 2026.

Can a school charge more because capitation is late?

No. Late or short capitation does not change the gazetted ceilings, and the Ministry has repeatedly warned against unauthorised levies.

Do private schools follow these fee rules?

No. Private schools set their own fees. Our guide to IGCSE school fees in Kenya covers one part of that market.

When will the 2027 fee guidelines be released?

No date has been announced. The 2026 structure was confirmed by circular on 2 January 2026 and gazetted on 6 February 2026, so any 2027 change could come close to reopening. Check education.go.ke and national newspapers.

Conclusion

For 2027, the honest position is this: the fee structure gazetted in February 2026 is still the one in force, nothing newer has been published, and any change must be gazetted. Public day schooling has no tuition fee at any level; public boarding senior schools may charge up to KSh 53,554 or KSh 40,535 a year, split 50:30:20; special needs schools KSh 12,790. Capitation is KSh 22,244 per senior learner per year, though releases have run short. Check every fee note against these figures, ask in writing about anything outside them, and keep your receipts. If you want to stretch the family budget further, the CBC Edu Kenya shop has learning materials priced per grade, and Somo, our CBC AI tutor, offers free daily questions. We will update this guide the day a 2027 circular or gazette notice is published. For Term 1 planning, our fees conversation guide and our boarding or day school guide are useful next reads.

Sources: Ministry of Education, press statement of 2 January 2026; gazette notice of 6 February 2026, as reported by Kenyans.co.ke and Capital FM; Ministry fee caps statement of 31 December 2025, as reported by Citizen Digital; junior school capitation, The Standard, 7 January 2026; KESSHA capitation analysis, Daily Nation, 25 August 2026; 2026/27 shortfall, The Standard, 14 May 2026.